We’ve recently come across some work on: “How to Break Bad Habits and Change Behaviors,” published by the American Heart Association. It discusses 6 Steps to Changing Habits.
Identify Cues:
"Something has to trigger a habit, and a cue can be anything. Identifying cues helps you understand what puts your habits into motion."
Disrupt:
"Once you know the cues, you can throw bad habits off track."
Replace:
"Research shows that replacing a bad behavior with a good one is more effective than stopping the bad behavior alone. Deciding to eat fruit every time your mind thinks “cookie” substitutes a positive behavior for the negative habit."
Keep it Simple:
"It’s usually hard to change a habit because the behavior has become easy and automatic."
Think Long-term:
"Habits often form because they satisfy short-term impulses. Focusing long term while trying to change some habits will help you remember why you’re investing the effort."
Persist:
"Research has shown that what you’ve done before is a strong indicator of what you’ll do next. But the good news is, if you keep at it, your new behaviors will turn into habits, too."
Source LINK